A2 60532 Blue Peter

Action of the A2 from either side of Easter with both whistles featured.

 

Had a least 2 runs up and down today with about 7 coaches Inc 6 mk3s. Who do the mk3s belong to ? LSL?

 

Yes LSL owned. Paid contract storage at SVR.

 

Does 60532 have working vacuum brakes at the moment? From photos the front pipe at least doesnt look to have anything connected to it behind the buffer beam

 

It hauled the lsl bubblecar which I assume is vacuum braked still. Unless that was manned and braked itself (if allowed)

 

Hopefully it hasn’t been converted to air braking but has a pump and controls for working air braked trains. Whatever they’ve done I assume it’s retained a vacuum ejector

 

It still retains its dreadnought type brake valve and does have working vacuum. As LSL operate on air. It makes sense that it is predominantly an air braked loco. The whistle valves are air operated steam valves as it can be recorded on the OTMR.

 

Is that a requirement, will it become a requirement in future, or is it just nice to have?

 

It's certainly a requirement on diesel and electric traction (along with a host of other signals that require recording). Would certainly make sense on a steam loco in case of an accident, to know whether the driver has used the whistle first.

 

You will have to ask someone with more info about OTMR recording devices than I. It is known that drivers can be cautioned for excessive whistling.

 

In the Seven Valley area on Monday 22nd. Will Blue Peter still be there? If so where is it stabled? and will it be doing any test runs?

 

Keep an eye here closer to the day.
https://www.svrlive.com/operations

Blue Peter should still be about as it is due to be on display at Kidderminster for the spring gala.

 

No test runs Monday. It'll been in the engine line dock.

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk

 

I presume the owners wish to launch properly on their own train once it's been top coated and lined out.
I would imagine it will be very heavily photographed this weekend though and is probably still proving quite a bit of an attraction to the gala. I know I am looking forward to seeing it again for the first time in 25 years..

 

At the open house weekend it was kept at Bewdley behind the DMUs and not really visible or photographable.

 

What’s the saying about good things coming to those that wait?
What would you rather have? an A2 that’s in a half arsed finish or an A2 that looks the business when it’s finished?

It’s a bit like Scarlett Johansson, she looks absolutely gorgeous on the red carpet all glamed up but I’ll have a fun size Mars Bar that she looks a little bit different before she goes to the ball
(FWIW I’m not picky on what either one looks like though)

 

I find it drily amusing that you go to the effort of promoting a gala, you have an absolutely megastar visitor (take a bow, Fenchurch); a home-railway favourite back after overhaul and looking the bees knees (the Stanier Mogul) and yet all anyone seems to want to know is whether a loco that isn't booked to run and is not advertised in any way as part of the show will nonetheless haul some trains!

Face it - had 60532 been somewhere else in the country, would it sway people's decisions about whether to go? The advertised line up is either VFM or it isn't; you can hardly complain that a loco that has been explicitly stated all along as taking no part in the event then doesn't take part in the event!

Tom

 

Admittedly the Stanier Mogul returned last year on seasonal trains followed by the Winter Gala in January albeit in the guise as 2968. She does look very smart now though....

Very much looking forward to seeing 1369 & Fenchurch along the rally.